Ravenclaw's Downfall
by Whatsername Stardust
Summary: Neville and Luna decide they need time to heal after the war. When she comes home a year later, what happens? Two shot, 2nd will be an epilogue
1. Chapter 1

_Dearest Neville, _

_Am I still allowed to address you as such? I hope so. You are as dear to me now as you were the day we left each other's lives after the battle. I've been on a year long expedition around the globe, and have been doing nonstop research the past six months, hence my lack of response to your letters. I'm terribly sorry about that. I will be returning to England next week, and was wondering if you cared to visit? Is a year enough space? I know it's going to be hard. We carry so many memories of the war for each other. But they aren't all bad. Are they? I'll be at the cafe we said good bye at tomorrow morning at 11. I hope I'll see you. _

_Affectionately, _

_Luna _

It had been 18 weeks and four days since Neville has gotten a letter from his best friend. Until today. He had to admit, he'd been afraid something had happened to her. He knew they said they needed space from each other, from the memories of the war they held for each other, but he figured space included letters. It pained him to think she thought he wouldn't show. Of course he would show. Quickly, he rifled through his closet and picked out something suitable. Casual but clean and well put together, topped with the cardigan Luna had knitted him. Checking every corner of his house, as had become his habit during the war which had yet to go away, he made sure he was alone, put up wards, and crawled into bed.

After hugging her father goodnight, Luna slowly ascended the red staircase in her house. She sat, exhausted, on her bed, but couldn't sleep. She fidgeted with her dirigible plum earrings and nargle charm. She picked out clothes ahead of time, something she never did. She bit her lip and gave in, digging through her luggage and finding the raggedy blue striped seater at the bottom of her satchel. Slipping off her travel clothes, and into the sweater, she closed her eyes and lay down, burying her face in the sleeve of the sweater for some vestige of his scent. She remembered, lying there, how it felt in the Room Of Requirement. She had hated hiding, but sometimes she could forget about the war. Like the late nights Neville helped her sneak into the kitchen for pudding, and Dobby would give them snacks for all the rebels. And the nights on holidays, when they'd cast a muffliato charm around the room and play the old muggle gramophone they found on low, and Neville would try to teach her to waltz. The one or two nights, where in the dead quiet of early winter mornings, they would sneak out to the lake under a disillusionment charm and watch the moonlight on the water. There were the not so good memories too though. The first night she appeared in the room, shaking and scared. That was the night she got the long pale scar behind her right ear. The scar that lead to Neville taking a cruciatus curse for punching Amycus Carrow in the face. The memory she cherished the most though was later on. In the midst of the battle suddenly he'd been there. Out of nowhere, holding the sword of Gryffindor and pulling her aside. She looked up at him confused, but before she could ask what was wrong, he had leaned down and kissed her. It was short and clumsy but perfect. Then he'd whispered that he had to go, he had to find nagini, but he wanted her to know, in case they died, that he loved her. She let herself fall asleep, remembering the look of those words on his lips.

Neville woke up the next morning entirely too early. Shrugging, he went to the shower and blasted the hot water, trying to melt away his nerves. He'd grown a lot in the past year, but he was still Neville. A bit of a bumbling school boy, just taller, broader shouldered, and a bit more confident. He stepped out of the shower and ran a towel over his hair, drying it, and got dressed. He tugged on the cardigan, smiling slightly. It was a bit long for him, Luna had misjudged the measurements, but it was soft, the cable knits alternating between vibrant red and a deep navy blue. She'd given it to him before she left a year ago. After telling him not to forget her. Like he could ever do that. Luna was unforgettable and irreplaceable. Checking his watch, he'd wasted enough time dwelling that he could leave for the café. He walked to his doorstep and apparated away with a pop.

Luna was sitting at a table out in front of the café, fiddling with her earring. It was a muggle café, so her bright blue sundress with the big buttons and polka dot pattern, matched with her old plaid converse and bright pink knee socks raised a few eye brows, but she just stared at her drink. Two espresso shots, lots of cream, lots of sugar and a few ice cubes. She tried to pretend there wasn't a chance he wouldn't show, but of course there was. He could be furious. She hadn't written him for six months. But at 11:03, he walked out of a nearby shop and waved, grinning. He rushed over and sat across from her and smiled sheepishly.

"Hello." He said softly.

"You came."

"You thought I wouldn't?"

"It was possible."

"No it wasn't. I missed you too much."

"So how are you, Neville?" her voice halted oddly in the middle of his name, she wasn't sure she was still allowed to call him Nev.

"I'm decent. Working on an herb garden, maybe going to start up a magical plants breeding business until Sprout retires, then I'm going to take over her professorship." He grinned broadly. "You?"

"I'm…tired. I've been to Romania, Borneo, Germany, America, Peru, Nigeria and spent the last seven months in a village in northern India. But I've made a few interesting discoveries. I'm working on a few articles for the Quibbler on my findings." She smiled a bit and took a sip from her coffee. "So other than work, what have you been doing?"

"Not much. I've been hanging around with Harry, Hermione, and Ron a bit. Harry and Ginny had a row and broke up. Went out with Hannah Abbot a few times." He said the last bit quietly.

"Oh. That's nice. She's a sweet girl. Are you still with her?" Luna asked trying her best to not look uncomfortable.

"No. It just, didn't feel right." Luna nodded at him, her eyes down. "How about you? I bet you were beating the foreign lads off with a stick."

"My grandfather set me up with his friend's grandson, Rolf Scamander."

"New Scamander's great great grandson?" Neville let out a low whistle. "Sounds like your perfect match."

"He and I went out twice, but he tried to kiss me and I just…I couldn't." they were quiet then. Both ignored what was unspoken but palpable. Suddenly, Luna broke the silence. "I want to tell you. About my research, I mean. When I was in India, I found a breed of magical ant, living in this hidden wizard colony at the base of the Himalayas. The ants are venomous, but the venom is actually beneficial. I was intrigued by what they used it for. Now, these ants aren't ant sized. They're about the size of my thumb. And the wizards in the village milk the venom and use it in medicine. I was analyzing the compounds in the venom and got an idea. I had the villagers find me the largest rodent they could, an adorable creature called a capybara, and then I confounded it several times in a row. Then a force fed it the venom and it snapped it back to normal. There's also this leaf that the ants eat, and it unlocks the full power of their venom. And I did a few preliminary tests and if combined right it could maybe…it might be able to…" Luna stopped and bit her lip, unsure of how to say what she needed to.

"It could what, Lu?" Neville said gently.

"I don't want to get your hopes up, but I wanted you to be the first person to know. Because the serum needs human test subjects. And there's no guarantee it will work, but so far even in mass concentrated does, it doesn't cause further damage or prove fatal. But there's a chance that, if formulated right, the serum could unlock the human mind from a state of entrapment."

"..You mean it could, potentially…"

"yes. Potentially it could save your parents."

"I…How? How did you find this out?"

"It's easier to find something when you're looking for it."

"What?"

"I'd heard rumors, when I was in Borneo, that these ants had healing properties, and they used them with misfired memory loss spells. So I went there and worked my arse off for months, trying to get a serum that could even maybe do what I hoped it could. I was traveling the globe searching for something to do this, Neville. Because your parents to deserve to see the world they fought so hard for healing, and they deserve to see the extraordinary man the baby son they had to leave behind has become."

Neville stared at Luna, his mouth agape and tears in his eyes. He shook his head in disbelief.

"Luna. I can't believe you did this."

"You deserve it, Neville. I can't promise it will work. But it might."

"You are a miracle, Luna Lovegood. A bloody miracle." He stood up and pulled her to her feet and wrapped her in a hug, quickly being overtaken by nostalgia. She leaned into the hug and wrapped her arms around his waist dreading the second her would let go of her. When he finally pulled away she looked up at him and suddenly, she was speaking.

"I missed you so much, Nev. And then my grandfather was trying so hard to set me up with Rolf and it was okay at first but then he kissed me and it wasn't right. I know I'm a Ravencalw and we're supposed to be brilliant and logical but even Rowena herself had an emotional downfall. She had a lover, did you know that?" Neville shook his head, exceedingly confused by Luna's ranting "She did. And in everything else she was astute and logical but around him, all that fell away. Do you know who her lover was, Nev? The logical and brilliant Rowena Ravenclaw's lover was none other than the kind hearted and smart, but cocksure and impulsive Godric Gryffindor." She stopped talking and took a breath trying to calm herself. "I'm sorry" she whispered. Neville sat Luna down and scooted his chair over to hers.

"I broke up with Hannah because every time I looked at her, I was expecting to see you. And every time she spoke I expected to hear your voice. And every time she kissed me I expected it to feel like when I kissed you during the battle. But it was never you. I have never loved anything the way I love you. You were the light in the darkness in the bloody room during our last year in Hogwarts. You were what I was fighting for on that battle ground. You never once stopped believing in me, you have never spoken down to me like almost everyone else in the world. And the idea of me forgetting you? Biggest joke I ever heard." He leaned over and kissed her, soft, short and sweet. She smiled at him.

"Hey, guess what?" she asked teasingly.

"What?" Neville raised an eyebrow

"I love you."

"I love you too, you nutter."


	2. Chapter 2

Memoria libertas is what they named the serum. After a, very humane, trial on monkeys, Mungo's allowed them to try it on Neville's parents. It took three super concentrated doses, but it worked. Neville could scarcely believe it when it happened. But the day after the third dose, he and Luna went in, and his mother looked him, square in the eye and said 'Why, Neville. Is that you?' He can't remember ever crying so hard before. It takes about two weeks to explain all that has happened to his parents, but Luna was right. They were immensely proud of him. They were both famous, after that, but it didn't matter. Neville had his parents back, he had the love of his life, he didn't need fame.

They got married on a Sunday in June, and Alice gave Luna her wedding ring and helped her with her hair. All the things Luna's mother wasn't there for. There wasn't anyone not crying when the pair finally said their vows. Especially Alice, Frank and Xenophilius.

They have three children. Matilda Alice, Frank Lysander, and Lorcan Augustus. It is not a fairy tale. Sometimes Luna is gone a lot, and sometimes Neville works too long of hours.

But at the end of the day, they love each other and would do absolutely anything for the other. And they have never been happier.


End file.
